"Thank you for being a part of my mess."

I said it flippantly as a joke, but my friend was really struck by my statement.  Today at church, led by the Spirit, I shared a prayer request with a friend.  It was a convoluted mess of a request that I didn't really want to share, because I didn't really know what I was asking prayer for.  But I shared all of that and my friend said she would definitely pray and then she said, "Thank you for trusting me with your request."  And I said as a joke, "Thank you for being a part of my mess!"   But she just stared at me and said, "That's good!"  And I couldn't get it out of my head.

Isn't this just what the Body of Christ is all about?  Joining with other believers to point each other toward Christ, who is sufficient to take care of all our messes?

Then I was driving home and the song, O Church Arise, came on.  This lyric struck me: "When faced with trials on ev'ry side, we know the outcome is secure."  The trials I face, whether known or not, already have a victory in Christ!  The outcome is known and I am secure in Christ.

A few Scriptures that keep coming to mind when thinking of this beautiful mess that is our life in Christ:

Romans 8:26--"Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."

1 Peter 1:22--"Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart."

That is what my friend did when she agreed to pray for me, loved earnestly.  So, again, thank you for being a part of my mess!